Manipur cinema finds place at IFFI

After years, a Manipuri film has found place in the International Film Festival of India which goes to prove that it is finding its own niche with filmmakers like Makhonmani Mongsaba, said Neelam Kapur, Director of the Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Mongsaba’s Yenning Amadi Likla features in the Indian Panorama section of the 38th edition of IFFI and will have its world premiere on November 24 at 12 noon.

The last Manipuri feature film entered into the feature section of Indian Panorama of IFFI was A Syam Sharma’s Sanabi (The Grey Mare) in 1996.

To make a film in a place where there is no cinema hall for screening the film is really a tough business.

Once Manipur had 58 cinema halls. But, as the time passed, some halls were converted into either shopping complexes or schools. The rest were, at present, were running Manipuri video films after replacing the 35-mm projector with a LCD projector.

By 2002, Manipuri cinema was no more. However, as it had its international recognition and played a major role in showing the unique culture and lifestyle of the people of the State, a few women producers came out to revive Manipuri cinema.

At a time when all the cinema halls in Manipur were running with LCD projector and no one wanted to make a celluloid film, a young woman, RK Geetanjali, produced Ayucki Singarei in the year 2005.

It was the lone Manipuri feature film produced in that year. But she could not find any halls in the capital city of Imphal for screening her film.

The film was shown at a cinema hall at Kakching for a few days and she lost in the business. No Manipuri film was produced in the year 2006.

In 2007, another six bold Manipuri ladies namely Suniti, Saroja, Shantibala, Umarani, Victoria and Ibemhal, emerged as producers under an abbreviated title SURVI and produced Yenning Amadi Likla with the renowned film Director Makhonmani Mongsaba.

The 147-minute feature film is about the story of a ten-year-old boy Sanatomba, a neglected child of an alcoholic father Ibohal and Leipaklei working in a rice mill.

Sanatomba grows up watching his father’s bad temper. Nature and peace loving Sanatomba watches his mother Leipaklei leave home after her fight with Ibohal. Lonely, Sanatomba is helped by his female friend Thambal’s mother.

Another couple, Vijaya and Ibotombi, are childless. On hearing of Sanatomba’s plight, Vijaya wants to adopt and raise him. The film deals with difference in principles and values between the two women — Leipaklei and Vijaya — as also innocent Sanatomba’s desires and aspirations.

Master Muru and Baby Reshmi are main characters of the film. The camera has been done by Dilip, editing by K Ramu and S Tijendra scored the music.

About the film, Mongsaba said every child born into this world likes to play with their friends and live together on the mother earth. They have no enemies and do not know war.

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